The Countdown
by Ralieber
Summary: There's a new technology that counts down to the exact second when you will meet your soulmate. It's called a timer and Regina Mills has one. What happens when she drunkenly meets Emma Swan at a college party? AU, Swan Queen, rated M for language and future chapters. *Loosely based off the movie "TiMER" (which I do not own).
1. Chapter 1

***DISCLAIMER* I do not own the movie "TiMER", the characters, or OUaT**

***Rated M for language and future chapters***

**A/N: **I've had the idea for this story in my head for months now. This is based off of/inspired by the movie "TiMER". If you haven't seen it, you definitely should. (If you have seen it, this story will not follow the movie much, just the premise.) This story will be AU, Emma and Regina are the same age in their final year of college, and they both have their families. Henry will not be in this story, sorry. I plan on making this quite a few chapters (hopefully 20+). Updates will be at least once a week if not more (depending on the interest shown in this story). Please read and review to let me know what you think! :)

**Chapter One**

Regina Mills woke up to the sun shinning through her bedroom blinds. She rolled over and looked at the clock. 8:30. Thank god she finally slept in on a Saturday. Well, slept in for her. Since it was the weekend she had no obligations to uphold and school didn't start until next week. The day was completely hers to do whatever she wanted. That meant sleep until 8:30 and finish her school shopping. The brunette was so excited for school to start. It was was her last year in the undergraduate program at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She loved getting assignments and the pleasure that came along with completing them and then receiving them back with an 'A'. So it was no wonder that she equally enjoyed fresh notebooks and writing utensils to help keep her organized.

The young woman stretched out her slender limbs and looked down at her right wrist. She let out a sigh as it appeared no different than usual. There was a blank, gray strip implanted there showing absolutely nothing. The timer had been installed as a gift from her mother on her eighteenth birthday. Well her mother thought of it as a gift, Regina had been thinking of it as more of a curse now. The timer was supposed to tell her the exact moment in which she would meet her soulmate. However, in the almost four years she had it, it never fleshed up a time. She was beginning to think that she may not even have a soulmate. Of course she only said that once to her mother, who in turn told her not to be ridiculous. Naturally, she never mentioned anything about the timer to her mother again.

Regina couldn't help but feel like she would never be worthy of love. With her timer not giving her an answer about the person she should end up with, it drove her crazy and obsessed in every relationship. In fact, her last relationship ended because she couldn't stop nagging him to get one. When he finally did, her timer failed to turn on while his showed a mere few days. They were in love and discussed marriage but Regina couldn't finalize anything until the timer confirmed her beliefs. She ended things because she their relationship would lead nowhere.

So she got out of her bed and started her day like usual; with her head held high and the faintest bit of hope in her heart. She showered and got ready in a form fitting light pink dress that stopped halfway to her knees. Her shoulder length brown hair held a slight wave and looked as perfect as usual. She paired some black heels with her dress to make her short stature appear taller than normal. After she sprayed herself with some coconut spray she was pleased with the final product and left her apartment in the neighborhood of Georgetown.

Regina was truly grateful for all that she had been blessed with in life. She grew up in a rather large house in Connecticut pretty close to New York City as an only child with her mother and father. Her father was a lawyer with his firm based in the city and her mother was a published author. It was no surprise that she wanted to follow in his footsteps and become a successful lawyer as well. She had hopes to open her own firm by the time she was 32. Regina had remained extremely close to her Latino father since she was a baby. Her relationship with her mother was off and on: usually off. She was demanding and critical, especially when it came to Regina's romantic relationships.

When the brunette was sixteen, she realized that she was fond of both the male and female genders. Cora was less than thrilled when she brought her first girlfriend home. Henry, on the other hand, loved his daughter regardless of who she dated. For that, she was extremely grateful.

As soon as it was time for Regina to go off to college she wanted a chance to be on her own and out of the clutches of her mother. Plus, Georgetown would be perfect to prepare her for law school. So her parents decided to buy her an apartment to live in so she didn't have to bear living in a dorm room with a roommate.

Regina's phone beeped in her purse and she went to retrieve it. A smile graced her face when she was that it was from her best friend.

**Ariel: **Hey bitch! Finally got back to town. Landon's throwing a back to school party tonight and we're going. I'll be at your place at 7 to get ready. Love ya :)

An eye roll escaped from Regina. Her best friend was rather brash and always made Regina go to parties she didn't want to attend. The only thing that made the parties bearable was that she always got free alcohol.

Ariel clicked with Regina immediately in their freshman seminar course. Only Ariel would forget a pen and paper on the first day of class and ask Regina to borrow some. Even though she was not looking forward to going to the party, she was excited to see the California native.

* * *

"Oh my god. Regina, you _have _to wear that tonight," Ariel gushed over the outfit that she was trying on.

"Are you sure this isn't inappropriate?"

"Of course it is, but it's perfect. Especially because when you're about three drinks in you'll be complaining about how horny you are."

"I will not!" Regina was appalled at the assumption.

"Mmmhmm, we'll see about that in three hours."

Regina rolled her eyes and inspected her appearance in the full length mirror. Her hair was slicked back and she wore some daisy duke shorts with a black crop top that could easily pass for a bikini top. She had some fancy sandals on which completed her outfit. She didn't want to seem conceited but she honestly did look great. Anyone would be grateful for the chance to talk to her tonight.

"Shall we go get some dinner?"

The two women left arm in arm to a sports bar a block away.

The bar was packed when they got in. Usually, Regina wouldn't be caught dead in a space like this. The only reason they came here was because the food was cheap and the drink specials were amazing.

Ariel ordered them each a shot of tequila and some food to go along with it.

"Liquor before beer, have no fear!" They toasted themselves before downing the shots.

Deciding to stock up on liquor seemed to be the smartest thing to do since the only thing they serve at these house parties was cheap beer.

* * *

Five shots each and dinner later, the two friends made their way down to the party. They were giggling and already walking crookedly. As they opened the door, the party was already in full force. There was noise coming from the speakers that blared music and from the people catching up from their summer and playing drinking games.

Ariel immediately went over to her friends from the English department and began chatting away. Regina looked around the room until her eyes settled on the fridge.

_Drinks. Finally._

As she reached her hand into the fridge a voice called out behind her.

"Hey! What the fuck do you think you're doing in there?!"

She whipped around and was prepared to defend herself until she realized it was her friend.

"Landon! I've missed you, how are you," they grabbed each other in an embrace.

"Missing some Regina Mills, that's how I've been. Grab a beer, have some fun."

Regina smiled and downed a beer, ready for a second. She hung out with her friend for about thirty minutes before they made their way over to the beer pong table.

Immediately, Regina's eyes locked on a tall, skinny blonde dominating the current game. She scanned her body and appreciated her long, toned legs that housed a pair of shorts and a torso (which she could only assume held toned abs as well) which was covered with a black muscle tank showing off her lacy bra underneath. Her long, blonde hair hung in waves down her back almost to her perfectly sculpted ass.

"You know, if you take a picture it'll last longer." Landon snapped Regina out of her daze.

"Pardon?"

"Emma. You're staring at her and not even trying to hide it. You can always go talk to her."

Regina blushed, "Oh no, I can't do that,". She felt her heart start to race.

Landon laughed at the flustered brunette. "Come on, I'll introduce you two." He grabbed her by the hand.

"No, no, no. Not yet. I need another drink first."

Regina spun around to go to the fridge and failed to notice that the blonde girl started watching her as well.

She pulled two drinks out of the fridge and found Ariel in the living room flirting with some guy she'd never seen before.

"I know, right? I mean Ariel isn't even my favorite Disney princess. It's Jasmine!"

Regina rolled her eyes yet again at the conversation that Ariel so often had with guys she had just met.

'Here, I think you need one of these. I know I do," Regina handed her friend a drink and started to down her own.

Ariel introduced Regina to her new friend and they made small talk before Regina left to get two more drinks. Her heart was pounding but she definitely had more than enough liquid courage in her for what she was about to embark on.

The brunette stumbled into the other room where she found Landon and saw Emma sitting on a couch on the opposite side of the room. She was laughing and joking with some of her friends and Regina thought she looked gorgeous.

"You said her name is Emma, right," Regina half slurred.

"Uh, yeah. You gonna go talk to her?"

"You betchya."

"Don't you want to know if she's even into girls first," Landon held her back.

Regina smirked, "Landon, this is me we're talking about. It doesn't matter if she's into girls or not. She will be into me,".

He laughed as he watched his friend crookedly strut over to the blonde.

"Is this seat taken," Regina asked as she sat down next to the blonde without waiting for an answer.

"Umm yeah. By you now." Emma turned her attention to the brunette that she was sure was way out of her league.

"Good. I'm Regina." She introduced herself and handed Emma the extra beer.

"Thanks, Regina." She took a sip of the drink. "I'm Emma."

Regina tried her best to bat her eyelashes in her drunk state. "I saw that you're pretty talented when it comes to beer pong. What else are you talented at?"

"Well, thanks. I'm pretty good at art. I'm a senior art major. How about you?"

"Political Science, pre Law."

"Impressive," Emma raised an eyebrow at the brunette. She scanned the brunette's body before settling on her right wrist. " You've got a timer, huh? Too bad it's not lit up. I bet there's a million people wishing that theirs would match up with yours."

Regina quickly covered up her wrist, embarrassed.

"Ummm, no. Not many people. Let's not dwell on my misfortune. I don't see a timer on your wrist."

"Nope," Emma replied simply.

"Nope?"

"I never wanted one so I never got one. Simple as that."

Regina was dumbfounded. "But how will you know who you're supposed to be with?"

"You just know when you're in love. Have you been in love before, Regina?"

The brunette swallowed. "I think so. I'm not really sure though."

Emma leaned in closer. "It doesn't matter if it's the first or the 600th time you see them: they always manage to take your breath away. You get tingles all the way from your ears, to your heart, to your stomach, then to your toes. Every day with them feels like the first day because you always learn something new about each other. Sometimes your heart physically hurts because you love them so much. That's why I don't need a timer. I'll just know."

Regina was at a loss for words and she just stared into Emma's eyes.

"Anyways, at least I hope that's how it'll be," she said before taking another sip of her beer.

"Yeah, me too," Regina said barely above a whisper.

The two of them continued to get to know each other for a little bit although Regina wouldn't remember most of it in the morning.

"It's getting late. Or early I guess. Where do you live? You want me to walk you back to your place?" Emma helped Regina up as she realized it was 3 am.

"Umm I live like two blocks away. Sure, thanks."

Emma helped Regina to her place even though it was a hassle getting directions out of the drunk girl.

"Alright, is this your place?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah," Regina muttered looking up. "Here, put your number in here so I can thank you in the morning." Regina handed Emma her cellphone.

The blonde giggled and put her name and number in the phone with a winky face next to her name.

Emma handed the phone back and noticed that Regina was staring at her lips.

"Or, I could thank you personally in the morning."

She leaned in and let her lips meet the blonde's. Their lips started moving against each other's and Regina felt herself melt into Emma. She felt hands on her hips so she decided to press further and slipped her tongue into the beer tasting mouth that was on hers. The brunette could hear herself moan into the kiss and she could swear Emma returned her moan.

Emma gently pushed Regina off her and broke the kiss.

"Do you want to come upstairs," Regina battered her eyes.

"I'm not really the kind of person who sleeps with someone they barely know. Sorry."

Regina suddenly frowned, embarrassed, and started playing with her wrist.

"Oh, okay. Well thanks for walking me back."

"Hey," Emma grabbed Regina's wrist before she could walk away." You have my number though. You can text me when you wake up if you'd like to grab some coffee."

"Okay. Thanks, Emma." Regina offered up a small smile.

"Goodnight, Regina." She watched the brunette walk inside and smiled to herself as she made her way back home.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Sorry it took me longer than expected to upload this chapter. I've been busy with work and I wasn't too happy with the outcome of this chapter. Please review and let me know what you think! :)

All mistakes are my own.

*I don't own OUaT or TiMER.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Regina was walking around her apartment making sure she had everything ready for her first day of school tomorrow. Her book bag was packed with her school supplies and her outfit was already picked out. She couldn't stop playing with the blank gray strip on her wrist: nervous was her last year of undergrad. According to her mother's plans, she should have found her soul mate by now and on the verge of scoring an entry level job at a law firm (if she must work). All she had was an internship lined up for when she graduated. Cora expected Regina to marry a wealthy guy from a nice family who was hopefully on his way to becoming a doctor or something as equally prestigious. The brunette shuddered at the idea.

Cora wanted her daughter to be a housewife. She believed that because of her status and good looks she did not need to work. That pushed Regina to achieve her goals even more.

The young woman longed for someone to be by her side in every aspect of her life. She wanted to be challenged: in authority, in the bedroom, and to be a better person. her match would be someone who coddled her when she needed it but also wouldn't put up with any of her bullshit. It was no secret that Regina was a control freak. She wanted someone to help calm that side of her down. She longed for a partner to make her feel as young as eighteen when they turn eighty. A timeless love was what she craved.

But as the days went on and her timer failed to turn on and point her in her destiny, the more she believed that her fantasy would remain just that- a fantasy. So it's no surprise that she never contacted the charming Emma after they parted ways. Why should she bother with something that would most likely end in nothing? Regina was starting to have herself convinced that she would never have a romantic happy ending. Emma didn't need to be dragged into her whirlwind of a life.

Hadn't she just met Emma the other night though? The brunette was so sure that the answer to why she had been thinking so much about the blonde was simply because of her crazy obsession. Nothing else. Yes, she was attractive but she hardly knew the woman. She also was not Regina's type. Emma was more hip, unique, and didn't have a vacation home in the Hamptons that Regina was used to. There was no way they could ever work together. Even if it felt electric when they kissed.

The brunette just shook away all thoughts about the woman and continued about getting her school supplies ready. She was eager to see what this semester would hold for her.

* * *

Regina was rushing to her second class of the day. She looked down at her watch and mentally scolded herself.

_Maybe I put too much faith in myself. There's no way I'm going to make it._

Her first class was a mock courtroom course that started at 9:00 am and ended at 10:30. She had a general requirement left to fill for literature and the only class available started at 10:45 on the opposite side of the campus. Regina, being the determined person she was, thought that she would make it. She had two minutes until the class started and she was still three buildings away. Never one to be late, she broke out into a jog.

_Thank god I wore flats today._

The brunette was certainly not looking forward to this class. While she loved to read, she wasn't fond of taking a basic literature course with fifty freshman. These courses also often demanded a lot of time between writing essays and reading books. She was nervous that she would fall behind due to her intense and vigorous pre-law courses. But she figured she would manage a way to balance everything, she always did.

By the time she finally rushed into the classroom, there were only two seats left. One was squished right in the center of the room and she didn't think she would make it there. The other was close to the back of the room and much easier to get to. She chose the latter even though she loathed the back of the room. Regina rushed into the seat and threw her belongings down in front of her in a huff. Flipping her hair back, she got her notebook and pen ready to take notes.

"This class should be a bore, huh?" A voice next to her snapped out of her thoughts. She looked to her left and gasped.

"You're in this class?" Her eyes were wide as she inspected the blonde beauty that was Emma Swan beside her.

"Obviously. Otherwise I wouldn't be sitting here."

"Alright then. There is no need to get snippy."

Emma rolled her eyes as Regina whipped her head forward to face the professor who started talking. He went over the syllabus and Regina tried to focus as best as she could. However, Emma was playing a game on her phone under the table and Regina kept sneaking looks at the blonde.

"Must you do that right now," Regina whispered.

Emma cocked her head at the oblivious professor. "It's not like I'm missing much."

"Well besides the basics of this course, you're distracting _me_."

"How am I distracting you? Maybe you should keep your eyes to yourself."

Regina's eyes widened as Emma's voice rose and the professor sent them a warning glare. His next instructions made Regina's mouth go dry.

"Take the next five minutes or so to introduce yourselves to the person next to you. They will be your partner in the semester-long assignment I briefly discussed. We will discuss it more next class."

"He cannot be serious," Regina muttered as she looked at the blonde who was rolling her eyes at her.

"No fucking way."

"You cannot possibly be complaining about being paired up with me. I have a 4.3 GPA and I will not let this course be any different. You have, what? A "C' average?"

"A 3.8, but thanks. I, on the other hand, actually text people like I say I will. Especially after they treated me so well."

"This is what your attitude is all about? Because I didn't text you?"

"Duh! I thought we connected. It seemed like you thought so too since you were practically dragging me into your apartment to have sex with you. It would have been nice, even decent, to get a 'thank you' text from you."

Regina's mouth dropped open but she failed to form any full words. "I-umm, I, ah."

"Yeah, figures. You think you're too good for me. That's fine. Talk to the teacher and get a new partner. Text me who my new one is. That is, if you still have my number."

With that, the blonde gathered up her belongings and left the classroom. The teacher didn't seem to notice and let everyone leave shortly after.

Regina chewed on her bottom lip as she thought about how her actions (or lack thereof) had hurt Emma. She did like her, in fact she wanted to get to know her even better. The blonde woman intrigued her. But the brunette always managed to mess up any relationship she was in. Her life was so hectic and and her heart was still scarred that she wasn't willing to attempt to forge any sort of romantic relationship with anyone right now.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and scrolled through her contacts until she found Emma's name. Her lips pressed together as she typed out a text message to apologize but then deleted it before she sent it. Apologizing would just pull her into the mystery that was Emma Swan. A mystery that Regina desperately wanted to uncover but also avoid at all costs. If the result was her seeming like a cold bitch in Emma's eyes, then so be it.

The brunette took a deep breathe and held her head high as she made her way to get some coffee.

* * *

Emma was frustrated with herself for showing her emotions so openly to Regina. To a girl she barely even knew. But one she instantly felt connected to. The young woman was usually great at masking her feelings, unless it was with her family or someone she was dating. So why was it already different with Regina when this was only the second time they had seen each other?

She tried to stop analyzing her actions and feelings and forced herself to just accept what she thought was the truth. Regina was too good for her- much like the other girls Emma had chased after before. It seemed as though she had an eye for rich girls who only used Emma for their gain then tossed her away like she was beneath them.

The blonde woman was hot and she knew it. She always had people around her vying for her attention. So why was she so keen on putting her heart in places it clearly didn't belong? Emma loved a challenge though and her charm knew no bounds.

But something was different with Regina. Emma didn't see her as a challenge, she immediately saw her as a threat. A threat to the walls she spent so many years and heartbreaks building. So she did the only thing she could think of when she felt her emotions getting out of her control: she ran. She ran away from Regina and pushed every confusing thought of the brunette out of her head.

She would solve this issue of a mysterious and intriguing woman like she had done a few times before. She would find another girl who wouldn't give her the time of day and chase her until she got what she needed. Until she satisfied that temporary craving that always immediately came back full force.

Emma Swan was many things and on that list was a masochist. Not in the bedroom but with emotions. When she couldn't figure out or control her own emotions, she tried to move past them. And in order to do that she would seduce another woman and cut off all ties as soon as it got serious. It was true that Emma often felt like she was the one being thrown away- these girls never really put up a fight to keep her around. But in all honesty, Emma was the destroyer of those "relationships".

She why had she lied and turned down going into Regina's apartment the night of the party? Because she knew from the get go that Regina was nothing like any of those other girls. Her craving wouldn't have been satisfied, it would have intensified. She would crave more of Regina and no one else. Which is exactly why she needed to keep as much distance between them as possible.

Right? Right.

At least that's what she kept trying to convince herself of.

This is exactly why she refused to ever get a timer. If she knew who her soul mate was, she was bound to destroy everything they could potentially have.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** To clarify for any confusion, the timer works only when both soul mates have a timer. Once it is installed and both parties have one, it will flash and have a countdown to the years/months/days/minutes/seconds until you lock eyes with that person. It will no longer be blank or simply gray. Hope this clears it up! :)

So sorry it has taken me so long to update this story. My writers block has been hitting me hard lately and my life has been hectic. I will continue on with this story though! :) Thanks for reading, enjoy. :)

* * *

**Chapter Three**

It was two days later and Regina was thrilled when her mock courtroom class got let out early. This means she could be early to her next class just how she liked. Although she was dreading the confrontation she was about to face with Emma.

As the brunette walked to her literature class she reflected on a decision that she made two nights ago. She refused to let another decision that her mother made for her dictate the way she lived her life. It has become habit to constantly check her timer, partly praying for a change to see it come to life but partly relieved when it stayed the same. Because if she was honest with herself she had no idea how she would react if she actually got an answer. But this semester she refused to let her obsession with finding her soul mate take over her life. There's no way she could back off cold turkey though, right? Not when it's become an integral part of her life and the way she acts in relationships. So she's allowing herself a look at the gray strip in the morning when she wakes up and at night when she goes to bed.

She finds herself fidgeting with it though on her walk because of the nerves. When she realizes what she's doing, she mentally scolds herself and removes her fingers from playing with it.

Regina desperately wants to find love but she also wants it to be real and not forced. That's one reason that pushed her to make this decision. Whenever she found herself interested in someone there was always a problem when it came to the timer. If they had a timer, theirs didn't match up. That always put the idea in Regina's head that it would be a waste of time and emotions to continue that relationship. If they didn't have a timer, then she wanted them to get one so that she could find out if they were a match made by the fate gods. The more mismatched timers she encountered, the more she thought she didn't have a match.

No longer would she dwell on all that. She wanted life to come as a surprise and not try to control it anymore. Regina loved having control but she loved being happy more. This was a start to living her life in a healthier and happier way. Or so she had hoped.

She arrived to her literature class ten minutes before it started and she rolled her eyes as she took the same seat she sat in last class. The seat was in a location she did not like but she figured there was no other choice if she was going to sit next to Emma.

For the next five minutes Regina began reading the first book their class would discuss. She was interrupted when she heard a body slam down in the chair to her left. A groan escaped from the blonde's mouth as she rolled her eyes.

"Didn't you get us new partners? Why are you sitting here?"

Regina took a deep breath. "No, I did not. This is our problem to deal with, not the professor's. We can work this out together."

"You've got to be kidding me. I need a reliable partner so that I can get a good grade on this project."

"I am reliable. Give me some time to prove it to you."

"Yeah? Well what am I supposed to do when my time is wasted and I can't get it back?"

Regina closed her eyes. "I know all too well about wasted time. I will show you that I am a worthy partner."

Emma contemplated this for a bit and sighed. "Fine."

The brunette gave a small, triumphant smile before it was wiped away as soon as the blonde opened her mouth again.

"But I have some ground rules. You must always be reachable if I should need your help and you have to respond within an hour. The only exception is when you're in class or asleep."

Regina nodded in agreement to Emma's demands.

"You must put in as much effort as I do in this project."

"Of course. I always go above and beyond-"

Emma stopped her.

"And we will meet up every Tuesday afternoon after our classes at the Daily Grind to discuss the project and work on it. You will, of course, be buying my coffee."

Regina opened her mouth to protest but Emma gave her a warning glare before anything could come out.

"Fine. Maybe you'll view me as a friend by the end of this semester."

Emma laughed, "Don't push it, Regina,".

The professor finally came in the room and began their lesson for the day.

Butterflies crept into her stomach as she thought about being able to work side by side with Regina all semester. Sure, she was still mad at the girl for being rude and inconsiderate. But she could still be excited about working with a sexy, _very_ sexy, woman for the next few months. She sneaked a glance out of the corner of her eye at the beautiful girl. With force, she pressed her lips together and turned her attention to the professor.

* * *

Regina was pacing around her apartment later that night while gripping index cards in her left hand and talking with her right. She was practicing and rehearsing for her upcoming mock trial class but she found it hard to concentrate. With a groan, she slapped the cards down on her desk and immediately began to play with the timer on her wrist. The brunette gave in to her wandering thoughts and went back and forth in her own mind.

Emma had been at the back of her head all day. She felt so bad about hurting the blonde's feelings when they met. Although she had apologized, she knew it wasn't enough to Emma. Words went a long way but actions went even farther. First impressions were extremely important and while she had made a good one, her second one was obviously terrible. That prevented them from being able to form a true friendship and get to know each other better.

Regina was determined to change the blonde's opinion of her and become friends. But why was she so determined? Sure, she felt a connection between them the night they met but that doesn't matter when Emma doesn't even want to work with her in class. Regina was desperate to change the nature of all of her new relationships: romantic and friendly. Because of her mother she had constantly been living every aspect of her life due to a schedule. She was ready for change after a bunch of failed relationships; she _needed_ a change.

The brunette was always and extraordinary student but Emma's lack of faith in her pushed her even harder to go above and beyond. Realizing that she would no longer be able to focus on anything else for the rest of the night, she put away her things for the mock trial class and got out her notes for her literature class.

Their semester long project consisted of working together to write a piece of fiction that would convince their professor that it was contemporary piece written by an influential author from the early 1900's or earlier. Emma and Regina had been assigned to Shakespeare. Regina found it ironic since their relationship had already suffered a seemingly demise like most Shakespearean stories often portrayed.

The brunette got to work by reading biographies about his life and selected works. Her first assignment was to bring Emma all of the information about him that seemed important for them to be able to fully understand him. She got busy reading and quickly filled up five note pages with facts.

She finished when she was satisfied with the amount of work she had completed and she put everything away. After she completed her nightly routine, she crawled into bed and took a deep breath. She gave into her personal allowance and stared at the gray strip on her wrist. She couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness when she noticed it was still blank. Trying to clear her mind, she closed her eyes and let sleep take her somewhere else.

* * *

Emma was on her way to class when she felt her phone vibrate. Her nose crinkled when she saw that it was an unknown number. With curiosity coursing through her, she opened the text message.

**Hi, Emma. This is Regina Mills. I wanted to let you know that I have completed parts 1A and 1B of our project. I know our usual meetup will be Tuesdays but I was wondering if you'd like to get ahead on the project this weekend?**

Emma didn't want to admit it but when she saw that it was from Regina her heart began to race. She rolled her eyes and feigned annoyance even though no one was there to see her. The only person she was trying to convince that she didn't care about the brunette was herself. She hesitated for a few more minutes before responding.

**You're treat? I like pizza. And beer. But you already know that. I'm free Sunday. Does that work for you?**

The blonde unconsciously let out a smile as she put her phone back in her pocket. A new text didn't come from Regina until she made it to her class.

**Yes, it does work. And of course, my treat. I'll see you at 1 pm? Just let me know where you'd like to meet.**

In her mind, she swears that she was not flirting with Regina. It was just a playful banter.

**Alright, your majesty. I'll tell you where to meet your knight in shining armor later. ;)**

Class started and Emma was surprisingly excited for Sunday to come.


End file.
